by Jane Jamison
She hadn’t really decided until that moment. But suddenly, it seemed like the right thing to do. After all, if she wanted to have an adventure, she had to take a leap of faith and just go for it. “You know what? If I can find a place to stay, then maybe I will stay. I’ll need it for a couple nights, at least. If not, I guess I’ll have to keep on moving down the highway.”
A tingling sensation rippled over her body. Her hair stood on end, and her stomach twisted into a knot. Yet it wasn’t a bad kind of knot. It was nothing like the knot that formed whenever she was nervous or afraid. Instead, it felt more like excitement, as though something had finally taken hold of her and infused her with passion. She sucked in a long, low breath and tried to regain her equilibrium.
What the hell?
“Are you okay?” asked Milly.
Was she? She wasn’t sure. She’d never felt this way before. Had she suddenly come down with a sickness? Yet, she felt too good to be sick. Still…
“I feel kind of funny. Maybe I should go home, after all.” Getting sick was bad enough. But getting sick while out of town would be even worse.
A deep voice slid over her. “If you’re feeling kind of funny, you definitely shouldn’t get back on the road. Stay.”
* * * *
Darrold Brack couldn’t take his eyes off the beautiful young woman sitting at the counter. From the moment she’d entered the café, he’d been mesmerized, caught in her spell. Was she a witch? Or was it something else that drew him to her?
His inner wolf roared to life, howling, telling him he must have her. His gut twisted, his heartbeat sped up, his pulse raced. Instantly, he felt as though an invisible rope had jumped out of his body and soared its way toward her until it had wrapped around her curvaceous body. If only he could figure out how to pull her to him.
Is this it? Is this the connection?
He couldn’t have held back if he’d tried. He’d heightened his wolf’s sensitive hearing until he could overhear the conversation between the beauty and Milly. He had to convince her to stay. One way or another, he had to make her stay.
When she’d started talking about how she was feeling, he knew what it was. Excitement flared inside him until he could hardly hold back from jumping for joy. His wolf howled again, rejoicing. But when she started talking about leaving again, he had to spring into action. He moved toward her, silently, like a predator about to capture its prey.
“If you’re feeling kind of funny, you definitely shouldn’t get back on the road. Stay.”
When she turned her light green eyes on him, he felt the invisible connection whip through him even stronger. There was no doubt in his mind. The sensation he was feeling was the connection. He sniffed, taking in the sweet, warm aroma between her legs. She was feeling the connection, too. The connection, along with a little persuasion from him, would convince her to stay.
He couldn’t believe it had finally happened. She’d walked right into his life. She was his mate. She was destined to be his. Hopefully, she’d have the connection to his cousins and be theirs, too.
She blinked at him, as though only now realizing he was there. But how could she not have sensed him? Unless, of course, she didn’t know what the sensation meant. Slowly, he drew in a scent again. Was she a shifter? No, she was definitely human.
“Sorry?”
Her voice was tantalizing, a siren’s call to a lost sailor. He had to keep her in Forever. If not, he’d have no other choice but to give up the ranch and follow her to wherever she went. “I said, if you’re not feeling well, you need to stay the night. You wouldn’t want to get on the road, get to feeling worse, and have a wreck.”
“He’s right, you know. You really should stay.” Milly refilled the beautiful woman’s coffee mug. “I wish I still had my place behind the café, but I don’t.”
His gaze met with the incredible woman’s, pleading with her to stay, ordering her to stay. “Jackson Carr probably has a rental house you could use for the night.” For longer than the night if he had his way. “I’ll give him a call, if you like.”
He knew she wanted to say yes, yet instead, she shook her head. “No, I really shouldn’t. I need to get back home. Besides—”
“Besides, you’re alone.” Milly glanced outside. “You are alone, aren’t you?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Which, of course, makes you a bit wary. I get it. We women have to be careful.”
Darrold arched an eyebrow at Milly, silently asking her if she knew what she was doing.
“But,” added Milly, “I can assure you that Forever is a very safe place to be. Plus, you look like you can handle yourself.”
Milly was playing to the woman’s pride. And it worked, as she sat up straighter.
“Yes, I can take care of myself. Still, if I’m getting sick, I’d rather be home. I should probably leave before I feel worse.”
“Yet you don’t really feel all that bad, do you?” He put on his most placating smile. “Is it a good feeling or a bad one?”
She frowned, and he could see she hadn’t really thought about the difference. If she was feeling the connection like he was, the first jolt was unnerving. But then, after that, the sensation was an exciting one.
“No.” Her frown deepened as she tried to understand what she was feeling. “Huh. That’s strange. Now that you mention it, I don’t really feel all that bad now. More like excited. Weird, huh? Still, maybe…”
Part of her uncertainty came from not understanding what she was experiencing. He’d have to help her get past the uncertainty. If she left…he leaned forward, needing to get more of her scent, needing to be closer. Damn, how he wanted to touch her. “No. I won’t allow it. I won’t allow you to get back on the road.”
She blinked again, this time adding a frown. “I’m sorry? Did you just order me to stay?”
She had spirit that much he already knew. And he loved it. Being a mate to a werewolf would require her to have spirit. But now was not the time to test her. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m only trying to look out for you.” He offered her his hand. For a moment, he was sure she wouldn’t take it, and pain stabbed through him. “I’m Darrold Brack. And you are…”
At last, she placed her hand in his. He would’ve sworn the world tilted on its axis.
“I’m Malia Bloom.”
“A rose by any other name,” he quipped. Not that he was an intellectual, but he managed to read every so often.
“Listen to him,” said Milly. “You can trust him. I’ll vouch for him. Plus, I’ll make sure you’re okay.”
Milly could convince a cow to lay eggs instead of giving milk. Besides, women trusted other women.
“Lots of women have stayed in one of the Carr’s rental homes.” Once he’d said the words, he realized how it sounded.
Yet she laughed. “I’m not sure that makes me feel any better. Did any of them die? Or get kidnapped by nefarious men?”
She was only half-kidding. Yet he could sense her wanting him to reassure her. The connection was doing its work to keep her there. He had to help it along.
“Not a one.” Damn, but she was beautiful. Full-figured and curvy in all the right places. “In fact, all of them have ended up loving Forever and staying here. Am I right, Milly?”
“You sure are.”
Still, Malia struggled to believe them. He could see the doubt in her eyes. At first, the light green darkened, but he hoped some of the darkening was due to the connection pushing her toward him. Slowly, she shook her head. At least, this time it was more hesitantly done. She opened her mouth to respond. He had to stop her before she could refuse.
“Besides, you wouldn’t want to miss out on seeing a werewolf or two, would you?”
Milly and several others gaped at him as though he’d just grown an extra eye. He’d just violated the rule of not revealing Forever’s secret.
“Darrold…” warned Milly.
He didn’t care. He’d guessed correctly. Malia was a curious on
e. After all, if she wasn’t curious, she would’ve driven straight through Forever to a larger town. A spark gleamed in her eye, answering his challenge.
“I’m sorry? What did you say?”
“You sure do say ‘I’m sorry’ a lot.” He softened his jab with a smile. “Yeah, you heard me right. Werewolves. Howl at the moon, change into a wolf kind of werewolf.”
Her frown vanished, and a smile took its place. “Are we talking about the Lon Chaney kind of werewolf? Or the Michael J. Fox kind of werewolf?”
She had a sense of humor. That was good to know. “Neither. More of the sexy True Blood kind of werewolf.” At least, he hoped she’d find him sexy. If he was right, and she was feeling the connection, she would.
She took another moment to consider, but he knew he had her hooked. How many people could turn down an invitation to see a supernatural creature?
“Well, I wouldn’t want to miss seeing a werewolf. After all, how many people get to do that and live to tell?” She squinted her eyes at him. “I will live to tell, won’t I?”
A growl came from someone sitting at a nearby table. She frowned and shifted toward the sound before he took her arm and made her forget about it.
She’d live, all right. As for the telling part? Once she was their mate, she’d know the importance of keeping silent. Forever and its citizens did their best to lay low, to keep the world from knowing about them. So far, their secret had remained safe.
He glanced at Milly, who slid Malia’s hamburger in front of her. One look told him he wouldn’t have to tell Milly what was going on. After all, Milly had come to town as a human and had met her mates, too. She knew what was ahead for Malia.
“How about you eat your food and I give Jackson Carr a call?” he offered. “We’ll get you set up in a rental home in less than an hour. Sound good?”
She looked to Milly for help. Funny how a woman always looked to another woman for answers instead of trusting the man. Milly gave her a quick nod.
“Come on, Malia. Where’s your sense of adventure?” Again, he smiled and hoped his smile would reassure her.
“Okay. Sure. Why not? And thanks for doing that.” She lifted her hamburger to her mouth.
He breathed a sigh of relief. His wolf growled, clawing to get to the surface, needing to take his mate as soon as he could. Her lips were luscious. Her mouth widened to take the burger, and he yearned to see her mouth open for his cock. Her pink tongue peeked out from between her lips, and he almost groaned.
Take it easy. You don’t want to scare her off.
Gripping his phone hard, he turned away, forced his wolf back into submission, and dialed Jackson’s number.
* * * *
The directions Darrold gave her were easy to follow. Malia found the rental home in no time. It was a quaint little house, nothing more than a few rooms stuck together with a comfortable if not stylish living room. She struggled with her heavy suitcase, but managed to get it through the door, then set it down to the right as she took a moment to take in her new surroundings. “Not too bad.”
She couldn’t help but smile. Deciding to stay alone in a rental home wasn’t something she would’ve normally done. But she had a gut feeling about Milly and trusted her. Besides, what was an adventure without a little risk?
She’d unpacked later. First, she’d give Bill a call and tell him about her plans.
It took several rings before Bill answered. “Hey there.”
Not “hey there, beautiful,” like he used to say.
Again, she was hit with the questions. Why didn’t she feel an excitement when she heard his voice? Why didn’t he sound happy to hear from her? She ignored the sinking feeling. “Hey. I just wanted to let you know I’m staying in the small town of Forever. I found a rental house I can use.”
One night, possibly two. Maybe more.
She frowned. She had no intention of staying more than two nights. Did she? Yet she had to admit. There were things about Forever—including a very handsome man named Darrold—that tempted her to stay awhile.
“A rental house, huh? Wow. And it’s safe?”
A flicker of doubt haunted her. “It’s safe.”
“You’re going all out for this adventure. Good for you. I hope you enjoy your time alone.”
Alone?
She glanced around the interior of the home. She really was all alone. Shoving the uneasy twist of worry away, she turned her thoughts back to Darrold again. As strange as it might seem, she’d thought of him a lot since leaving the café. There was something about him that made her want to know him better.
“I think I will.” For now, she needed to concentrate on talking to Bill.
Pushing Darrold out of her mind, she walked over to the couch and sat down. Bill didn’t seem to mind in the least that she wasn’t coming home. In fact, he seemed even less caring than he had before. What was going on? Was this more evidence that they’d lost the spark? Or was she too tired to think straight?
Still, there was something different from their earlier conversation. This time, he wasn’t the only one who didn’t care if she came home. Again, her thoughts jumped to Darrold.
Darrold Brack. Even the name sounds so masculine.
The man was more than good looking. He had black hair just long enough to curl around his earlobes, teasing her into winding a strand around her finger then stroking his stubble-covered jaw. His hair was thick and luscious, and as he’d stood there talking her into staying, she’d wanted nothing more than to tunnel her hands through it. Black eyes highlighted the black hair, and the tan skin was a perfect accent for his cut jaw and steely eyes. He was well over six feet tall, making her five feet, five inches feel small. His shoulders were broad, his waist lean, and she’d had a hard time trying not to undress him with her eyes. Had he noticed?
“Are you there?” asked Bill.
At once, she felt guilty. Who fantasized about another man while talking to their boyfriend? Yet not thinking about Darrold was a lot harder than she would’ve imagined.
Again, the memory of Darrold’s eyes hit her, renewing that strange sensation she’d felt the moment their gazes had met. He was different. More than simply sexy as hell. He had a quality about him that drew her to him, making her want his hand between her legs, his mouth on hers. She’d had to clench her fists to keep from grabbing his shirt and pulling him to her. The feeling had almost overwhelmed her. She’d never experienced anything so powerful.
“Malia?”
“I’m here.” But did he care? Did she? “I’m really tired, Bill, so I’m going to go ahead and go to bed.” She glanced out the window and saw that it was still early afternoon. “For a nap,” she added hastily.
“Sure. No problem. I’ll talk to you soon, okay?”
For a moment, she wanted to plead with him, to ask him what had gone wrong. She wanted to ask if he still gave a damn about her. She wanted him to tell her to stay on the line, to tell her he needed to talk to her longer just to hear her voice, to tell her that he missed her. Yet, although she wanted to feel as though he missed her, she couldn’t bring herself to tell him so. Suddenly, she no longer wanted to hear those things. In fact, if anyone had asked her, she would’ve told them that she’d felt more connected to Darrold than she had to Bill in a very long time. “That’s ridiculous.”
“It is? Why is a nap ridiculous?”
“Oh, not that. I was thinking about something else.” Something—someone—that couldn’t be. “Okay, then, I’ll talk to you soon.” She ended the call, not even bothering to say good-bye.
How she felt was bad enough, but the sound of Bill’s voice had been…different. Unemotional. Detached. As sadness enveloped her, her gaze again slid to the window and out to the yard beyond.
A black wolf sat staring at the house as though he was waiting for her. She set her phone down on the coffee table and hurried to the window.
You’ve got to be kidding.
She mentally shook herself.
Don�
�t be silly. It’s just a wolf. A regular wolf. Not a werewolf.
And yet, something in the way he looked at her made her think of one man. The same intelligence was there, the same spark of curiosity, the same gleam of hunger.
Darrold.
Okay, now I’m really being ridiculous.
Hurriedly, she locked the door and pulled the blinds. Then peeked once to see if the wolf was still there. She was strangely pleased that it was. Stepping back, she drew in a long breath.
Maybe I really am tired.
Slowly, she picked up her suitcase and backed even farther away from the window. Part of her wanted to drop her suitcase and run out into the yard. The impulse was a crazy one, but, nonetheless, it was difficult to resist. She stayed where she was for a few moments, battling the urge to give in, before finally forcing herself to turn around and stride into the bedroom.
Chapter Two
Ten markets the size of High Tide Market could fit into Malia’s supermarket at home. Nonetheless, the small-town grocery was clean and neat and had lots to offer in variety. Malia strolled down each aisle, checking out the packaged goods and finding everything she needed. Once she’d loaded her cart with those items, she headed to the produce section. Although the variety of fruit was less than at her market, the quality seemed much better. It was as though the fruit had come straight from the farm. Was everything organic? She couldn’t see any signs denoting the same, but they sure looked like it. The fruit and vegetables looked as though they could be right off the pages of a food magazine.
She picked up a cantaloupe. Squeezing it, she tried to determine if it was ripe. She thought it was, but she was horrible at determining the ripeness of fruit. Right about then, an elderly woman walked past her. Although she seemed too old to be working at her age, she was wearing a nametag and acting as though she belonged in the grocery. Hell, as though she was running the whole store. She had that leadership demeanor about her, with her head held high, that made her seem busy and important. The older woman sorted through some of the apples, her hands gliding over each one as though she had lovingly placed it there.